Laura's Story

In May, thirty-two-year-old Laura had her first baby, a healthy little girl. After her six-week postpartum check-up, Laura noticed some unsettling changes.

Eight weeks after the baby was born, my hair started falling out. I had a ravenous appetite, but I didn't gain weight. I'd already lost the baby weight and maybe a little more. My husband noticed when I got out of the shower that I looked different.

My legs were so weak that it was hard for me to get up off the floor. I attributed it to a lack of exercise; I was out of shape. My hips got sore when I sat. Chloe started sleeping through the night when she was two months old, but I couldn't!

The other thing was the brain fog. That was just ter­rible! Not only could I not pay attention, I just couldn't retain anything. I wrote it off as sleep deprivation. My heart was racing, and my anxiety level was very high. Still, it was easy to write off every symptom. I had just gone back to work, I had a new baby, and I was wor­ried about the hair loss.

I called my [obstetrician], and she said right away, "Let's check your thyroid." My TSH was [less than] .01, and [my obstetrician] recommended I see [an endocrinolo­gist]. My friends and co-workers also recommended the same doctor, so I went to him. I also started researching on the Internet.

Laura was experiencing the signs and symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis. When Laura's endocrinologist examined her, he noticed that she had a goiter, and an ultrasound revealed a small nodule in her right thyroid lobe. Laboratory test results showed that her free T4 level and sedimentation rate were normal, but that her free T3 level was elevated, her TSH level was low, and she had antithyroid antibodies.

Her endocrinologist recommended a radioactive iodine uptake to confirm the diagnosis of postpartum thyroiditis; a thyroid scan to deter­mine whether the nodule was hot or cold; and a fine needle aspiration biopsy to rule out cancer.

I had been put on birth control pills to try to help the hair loss, and [my breast milk] started drying up. But then I had to stop nursing for the radioactive [iodine] uptake, and that did it for nursing. I felt like it was ripped away from me. I freaked out!

Then the cancer thing came into play. Everything looked different. I started wishing I could have had longer with Chloe. I wanted a needle biopsy. We did it right away. It was painful, but it was a pressure pain, not very bad. There were no signs of cancer. It was such a relief!

Laura's endocrinologist explained that the hyperthyroid phase would eventually end without treatment and that she might also go through a hypothyroid phase.

I went back to [my endocrinologist] a month after the biopsy, and the lump was still there, but my thyroid was getting smaller. My hair had stopped falling out by the end of November.

My last check-up was in January. I'm still in the hyperthyroid phase, but I'm feeling better. I'm not looking forward to the weight gain and fatigue of the hypothyroid phase. Hopefully, I'll have more children, but I don't want to go through all of this again, especially the brain fog.

I was still having problems with anxiety. I reacted to everything like the house was on fire, and I was quick to get angry. My emotions ran the gamut. I finally said yes to taking medicine to help it. [My endocrinologist] prescribed Xanax [for anxiety], and it has been really helpful. I've only taken it three or four times, mostly to help me sleep. It doesn't make me groggy. I highly recommend that anybody in my situation not resist trying something to take the edge off. Don't even think twice about taking something for anxiety.

Most of my symptoms are better now, but if I'm under added stress, I feel it more. Just knowing what it is makes me feel better. I don't feel so weak, like why can't I control this? I feel sorry for any woman who has to go through this. There's enough to deal with having a new baby and all.

Now that I have [thyroid disease], I know how common thyroid problems are. It's amazing how many of my friends and acquaintances have thyroid disease. I have three or four friends who had similar symptoms, but they were not diagnosed.

My advice to other women is don't ignore the symptoms. Read about [postpartum thyroiditis] before you get pregnant and be aware of it.

One year after the onset of her postpartum thyroiditis, Laura's thyroid function is normal, and she does not require thyroid hormone replacement.